Hatch construction



Oct'. 28, .1941. G. G. GILPIN HATCH CONSTRUCTION Filed June`24, 1940 /N/E/vror:

Patented ct. 28, 1941 HATCH CONSTRUCTION Garth G. Gilpin, Riverside, 111., assignorio stanaard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Delaware Application June 24, 1940, seria1N0.342,052

5 Claims.

This invention relates to the hatch constructions of metal car roofs of the type wherein the roof sheets extend from side-to side of the car and are connected along their adjacent margins by rigid seams and the hatchways are defined by metal hatch frames disposed in hatch openings provided therefor in the roof. The invention has for its principal object to utilize the roof seams for sustaining the hatch frames. Other objects are a strong and durable, simple and economical lightweight hatch construction which can be quickly and easily applied to a roof of the above type without material alteration thereof. The invention consists in the hatch construction and in the parts and combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed. In the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. l is a plan view of a portion of a metal car roof provided on each side of the ridge with a hatch construction embodying my invention,

Fig 2 is an enlarged partial vertical transverse section through the roof on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a partial vertical longitudinal section through said roof on the line 3-3 in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view, showing my hatch frame and beam assembly ready for application to the roof as a complete unitary structure.

In the accompanying drawing, my invention is shown embodied in a railway car roof comprising metal roof sheets I that extend from side plate 2 to side plate 2 of the car with their eaves ends resting on and riveted or otherwise secured to the outstanding top flanges of eaves angles 3, whose depending flanges are riveted or otherwise secured to the upstanding inner side flanges of said side plates. The sides of the roof sheets are provided with raised panels 4 with upstanding seam anges 5 along their outer edges. The side marginal seam flanges 5 of adjacent roof sheets are straddled by seam caps 6 that are riveted or otherwise secured to said anges and to the eaves angles 3, whereby said caps and flanges cooperate to form rigid upstanding seams 1, which function as outside carlines. y

As shown in the drawing, the metal roof has one or more hatchways which lead into the interior of the car. Each of these hatch constructions comprises a substantially rectangular hatch frame 8 disposed in a hatch opening 9 provided therefor in one of the roof sheets and extending above and below the general level of the roof. The hatch frame 8 is preferably made of metal with straight side walls that are inclined upwardly and outwardlyand thence downwardly' and outwardly to form an exterior downwardly opening hollow rim lil at the upper end of said frame. The roof has an upstanding flange II along the margin of the hatch opening 9 that overlaps the lower portion of thedownwardly and outwardly inclined outer side Wall of the hollow rim portion I Q of thehatch frame 8 and is secured thereto by a weld I2 of'added metalthat extends continuously along the top vedge of the'ilange.

The metal hatch frame 8 is supported by two spaced parallel beams I3 that extend longitudinally of the car below the roof on opposite sides of said hatch frame. As shown in the drawing, the hatch frame 8 extends downwardly between and is rigidly secured by welds or other fasteni ing means I4 to the opposing faces of the beams I3 and forms a rigid cross-connection therebetween. The hatch frame supporting beams I3 preferably comp-rise metal angles arranged with one flange up and extending laterally outwardly from the other flange close to the underside of the metal roof and with said other flange contacting flatwise against they adjacent side of the hatch frame. The beams I3 extend longitudinally of the car from seam to seam thereof and have their ends rigidly secured to metal stiffening and reinforcing plates I5 embodied in seams. These plates have their upper ends disposed between the upstanding seam flanges 5 of adjacent roof sheets and are rigidly secured within the seams 'l by the securing rivets therefor. These combined beam hanger and seam stiffening plates I5 extend downwardly across the adjacent ends of the two beams I3 located therebetween; and said ends of said beams are secured to said plates by means of angle brackets I6 having one ange secured to a beam endand the other flange secured to a plate.

The construction hereinbefore described has several important advantages. The hatch frame 9 and the supporting beams I3 therefor are sustained by the rigid roof seams 8, which function as carlines and transmit the load of the hatch construction to the side plates 2 of the'car. The hatch frame supporting beams afford some support for the metal roof between seams and serve to strengthen and stiffen the roof n directions lengthwise thereof. The hatch frame and supporting beams therefor are adapted to be assembled off the car and furnished for application thereto as a complete preassembled unit. Important advantages of the present construction over prior constructions wherein the hatch frame supporting members extend crosswise of the roof from side plate to side plate and function as carlines are that it dispenses with the operation of bending such members to conform to the pitch of the roof, and it provides an assembly that is smaller, lighter and cheaper and easier to apply than the prior carline and hatch frame assemblies.

What I claim is:

1. A car roof comprising roof sheets connected along their adjacent margins by rigid upstanding seams that extend transversely of the roof from' eaves to eaves thereof and function as outside carlines, and a hatch construction for said roof including a hatch frame disposed in an opening provided therefor in one of said roof sheets and a support for said hatch frame below said sheet and hangers for said support sustained entirely by the seams that connect said sheet to the sheets on opposite sides thereof.

2. A car roof comprising roof sheets connected along their adjacent margins by load-supporting seams, a hatch frame extending through said roof between adjacent seams, hangers embodied in said seams, and a support for said hatch frame extending between said adjacent seams and sustained by the hangers therein.

3. A car roof comprising roof sheets connected along their adjacent margins by load-supporting seams, and a hatch construction for said roof comprising spaced frame members extending between and sustained entirely by adjacent seams and a hatch frame extending between and supported by said frame members.

4. A car roof comprising metal roof sheets connected by rigid load-supporting seams that eX- tend from eaves to eaves of said roof and function as carlines, spaced members extending longitudinally of said car below said roof, a metal hatch frame interposed between and sustained by said members and extending upwardly through an opening provided therefor in said roof, and hanger plates embodied in and depending from said seams and supporting said members.

5. A metal car roof comprising side plates, roof sheets spanning the car from side plate to side plate and connected by seams that function as carlines, said roof having a hatch opening therein between adjacent seams, metal members located beneath said roof and extending longitudinally thereof along two opposite sides of said opening, a metal hatch frame sustained by said members below said opening, and hangers depending from said adjacent seams and supporting the longitudinally disposed hatch frame supporting members.

GARTH G. GILPIN. 

